Death Stranding 2 Adds Fun, Subtracts Frustration

Summary

Podcast Summary: "The Besties" – Episode: Death Stranding 2 Adds Fun, Subtracts Frustration

Release Date: June 27, 2025

In this episode of "The Besties," hosts Chris Plante, Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, and Russ Frushtick delve deep into the world of video games, focusing on the much-anticipated sequel "Death Stranding 2." The conversation is rich with candid opinions, insightful analysis, and a touch of humor, making it engaging for both avid gamers and casual listeners.

---

1. The Texting Incident: A Humorous Start

The episode kicks off with a lighthearted anecdote shared by Russ Frushtick about attempting to gather honest feedback on "Death Stranding 2" by texting Justin and Griffin separately. This clever tactic backfires hilariously when both recipients, sitting side by side at the Origins game convention, receive identical messages.

• [00:00] Russ Frushtick: "I texted both Justin and Griffin separately talking about how I felt about Death Stranding 2...they were sitting next to each other when they got the text."

• [02:50] Justin McElroy: "Welcome to the Besties where we talk about the latest and greatest in home interactive entertainment."

The group's camaraderie shines through as they tease Russ for bypassing their usual group dynamics to seek individual opinions, setting a playful tone for the episode.

---

2. First Impressions of Death Stranding 2

Transitioning into the main topic, the hosts compare "Death Stranding 2" to its predecessor, discussing initial challenges and the game's evolution.

• [05:56] Russ Frushtick: "This game feels way more like an RPG. I feel way more in control of my character..."

Griffin shares his disappointment with the original game, describing it as "laborious and anti-fun" and expressing relief that the sequel offers a better first impression.

3. Gameplay Enhancements and Quality of Life Improvements

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the improvements in "Death Stranding 2," particularly in gameplay mechanics and user experience.

• [10:26] Justin McElroy: "Death Stranding 2 is someone who took it on the chin a bit with Death Stranding 1 and said, okay, I actually am going to make this fun."

Justin praises the sequel for addressing the mechanical density of the first game, making it more accessible and enjoyable. The hosts highlight features like improved vehicle mechanics, non-lethal combat options, and customizable difficulty settings that cater to diverse playstyles.

• [17:24] Griffin McElroy: "The monsters shouldn't be invisible. You shouldn't be constantly pursued by invisible monsters..."

Griffin emphasizes the visibility of enemies in the sequel, enhancing both the challenge and immersion without the frustration caused by the first game's design.

4. Narrative and Storytelling: Balancing Depth and Accessibility

The hosts explore the storytelling approach in "Death Stranding 2," noting a shift towards more concise and impactful narratives.

• [12:02] Griffin McElroy: "There's a moment where she sits down and...just kind of sits there looking contemplative in this super artsy black and white shot."

Russ acknowledges that while the story remains straightforward—focusing on themes like connectivity and family—the sequel manages to introduce depth without overwhelming players, thanks to shorter cutscenes and more dynamic interactions.

• [25:06] Russ Frushtick: "At its core, the first game is really just like, hey, we're trying to bring America together by connecting people...This game is very similar to that."

The balance between intricate world-building and accessible storytelling ensures that both newcomers and longtime fans can appreciate the narrative without feeling lost.

5. Hideo Kojima’s Vision and Direction

A recurring theme is Hideo Kojima's role in shaping "Death Stranding 2." The hosts commend his ability to infuse creativity while grounding the game in enjoyable mechanics.

• [11:59] Russ Frushtick: "It's like Kojima...he is somebody who is at the height of his powers right now."

Griffin further elaborates on Kojima's collaboration with other creatives, praising the inclusion of personalities like Guillermo del Toro, which adds a unique flair without feeling forced.

• [38:13] Christopher Thomas Plant: "They really want to introduce you to these people in the real world through the game rather than like... it feels like a fun collaborative."

This collaboration enriches the game's universe, making interactions feel organic and enhancing overall player engagement.

6. Upcoming Kojima Projects and Industry Insights

Towards the episode's end, Russ provides insights into upcoming projects associated with Hideo Kojima, including the highly anticipated remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, and new titles like OD and FIZ. The hosts express enthusiasm for these projects, anticipating how Kojima will continue to innovate in the gaming landscape.

• [43:00] Russ Frushtick: "There is a remake of the game that was probably one of his best titles ever released that's coming out later this summer."

7. Listener Engagement: Reader Mail and Opinions

The episode also features a segment where the hosts respond to listener questions, discussing experiences with controversial games like "Starfield" and "Skyward Sword." They share their perspectives on holding unique stances in the gaming community and the challenges of maintaining individual opinions amidst widespread consensus.

• [45:00] Griffin McElroy: "Starfield is the most poignant example of this where I absolutely felt like I was being gaslit by the entire industry writ large."

8. Concluding Thoughts and Future Episodes

In wrapping up, the hosts tease upcoming topics and express gratitude towards their Patreon supporters. They hint at future discussions centered around Kojima's works and other gaming phenomena, ensuring listeners remain engaged and eager for more.

• [43:48] Griffin McElroy: "What we are doing next week? A little game called the Altars."

---

Notable Quotes:

• Russ Frushtick [00:00]: "I want an honest response that wasn't tainted by the rest of the group."

• Griffin McElroy [05:33]: "I do not feel at all lost here in Death Stranding 2."

• Justin McElroy [11:43]: "This is somebody who is at the height of his powers right now."

• Griffin McElroy [38:04]: "It feels like a fun collaborative."

• Griffin McElroy [47:57]: "How do you adapt that [Elden Ring]."

---

Conclusion

This episode of "The Besties" offers a comprehensive and entertaining exploration of "Death Stranding 2," highlighting its advancements over the original game and celebrating Hideo Kojima's continued influence in the gaming world. Through insightful discussions, personal anecdotes, and engaging banter, the hosts provide listeners with a thorough understanding of what makes this sequel a standout title, while also touching on broader industry trends and future projects.

Transcript

[Russ Freshik]

So I want what? So. So when I want to get an honest answer from two separate people, I text them separately.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Russ Freshik]

To see what they think on that perspective. And this happened recently?

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Russ Freshik]

I texted both Justin and Griffin separately talking about how I felt about Death Stranding 2, which is the game we're talking about today. Apparently they were sitting next to each other when they got the text.

[Griffin McElroy]

It was absolutely insane. Insane, my man.

[Justin McElroy]

We were at Origins game convention. Thanks to everybody who came out. Always love to see the hoops troops. And we both got the text independently. Not in a group, but independently from Russ. And both sent to me and Griffin independently.

[Griffin McElroy]

Identical copy?

[Russ Freshik]

Well, yeah, I just copied and pasted it. You think I rewrote it?

[Justin McElroy]

No, but like, we realized it happened. Felt like we were in a Saw movie and decided to confront you and is that the verb? Yes, that's what I did. Confront you about your actions. Would you like the chance to explain them?

[Russ Freshik]

Yeah, I mean, I said it at the top. I wanted a honest response that wasn't tainted by the rest of the group.

[Griffin McElroy]

So even before we get into the fact that you played us against each other like a. Like a sociopath.

[Russ Freshik]

Yeah.

[Griffin McElroy]

I am disappointed in you for not being able to wait until after dinner to get your sweets desserts. Reaching out to us to get our exclusive thoughts on the video game before.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Before we listeners did.

[Griffin McElroy]

Who has paid for it to hear these?

[Justin McElroy]

Paying customers. You wanted to get our insights for free.

[Russ Freshik]

I want a little sneaky peaky.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's disappointing too, my man. We got it. We have rules for a reason. Rules are we don't talk to each other until we do the best.

[Russ Freshik]

Right. That's fair. The question, I guess the follow up question I have is this.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Russ Freshik]

How did you both find out that I texted you at the same time?

[Griffin McElroy]

We were sitting next to each other.

[Russ Freshik]

But do you look at someone else's text?

[Justin McElroy]

No. I said to Griffin, Russ says that Death Stranding 2 is the best game. His best game.

[Griffin McElroy]

And I said, he texted me the same thing. And then we looked at each other like, that can't be right.

[Justin McElroy]

And we start like, compare. We're like, Beverly, enhance. Enhance these texts, Beverly. We think we have an impersonator.

[Griffin McElroy]

Absolutely wild.

[Justin McElroy]

My name is Justin McElroy and I know the best game of the week.

[Griffin McElroy]

My name is Griffin McElroy. I know the best game of the week.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

My name is Christopher Thomas Plant and I know the best game ever.

[Russ Freshik]

My name is Russ Freshik. I know the best game of the week.

[Justin McElroy]

Welcome to the Besties where we talk about the latest and greatest in home interactive entertainment. It's a video game club. And just by listening, you have become a member. This podcast, this episode of the podcast is going to have the guts to ask a question that I didn't actually think we would be asking. And that question is, what if Death Stranding two Fucks Chris Plant. What does that mean?

[Griffin McElroy]

Speak on that.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Well, Death Stranding is the sequel to a game where you walked around and delivered packages in the apocalypse, but now it's back with a lot less story, a lot more delivering, and a hell of a lot more Metal Gear Solid. Did I mention it's made by the same person I am now, Hideo Kojima?

[Griffin McElroy]

More after that.

[Justin McElroy]

What a wild. Would love to diagram that sentence. Yep, if I had a protractor. And we'll be right back after this.

[Griffin McElroy]

I had a moment where Rachel was out at a book club and I was like, all right, I'll have some time to dip into Death Stranding 2 on the beach. And I'm. I could probably.

[Russ Freshik]

Oh, sorry, I was confused for a second. I thought you were playing it on the beach. People should know that's the subtitle of.

[Griffin McElroy]

I am Heading to the beach this week. So I could ostensibly make that happen if I wanted to bring my 500 pound PlayStation 5 with me as I went. I could probably, if I sat here for a couple hours, come up with a short list. But just like off the top of my head, I cannot think of a more bonkers game for a loved one to walk in on you playing than having her walk in from her club where she just discussed literature with her friends and then come home to see me making Norman Reedus drink his own piss. And then she's like, what's happening on the TV right now? And I'm like, well, this is a game where you make Norman Reedus drink his piss and eat his bugs. And I don't see why that's weird. We both consumed art today and I'm gonna discuss it later.

[Russ Freshik]

Yeah, I think that's weird.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I thought you were just gonna talk about how weird it is when they come in and they're like, so what are you doing? And you're like, well, I'm. I'm hand delivering this package. And they're like, how long you been doing that for? And you're like, oh, 30 minutes. And like, anything else happen? No.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, no, there's not a lot of. There's not a lot of random cross sections of this game that you could place in front of a normal person and have them not immediately go. So you just run. You run across the mountains and drink piss and you're Norman Reedus from Walking Dead. Yes.

[Russ Freshik]

It was truly the example of an elevator pitch only working because it started with Hideo Kojima made this game. And then everything else is like, okay, I guess we have to.

[Griffin McElroy]

I would love to provide my perspective on Death Stranding 2 on the beach because I did not like Death Stranding 1. It is a point of constant contention, I think, between the hosts of this video game podcast. I found it to be so laborious and anti fun that I was unable to suffer through. I was unable to eat my vegetables to get to the. To the sweet, deserving.

[Russ Freshik]

And let me just say.

[Griffin McElroy]

Insane mind palace.

[Russ Freshik]

Let me just say I agree that the beginning of Death Stranding 1, the like first five to seven hours is pretty fucking brutal. Like, brutal.

[Justin McElroy]

I played 30. I probably played 30 hours of it and. And then I, like took a break and couldn't go back to it because I will say that I think it is way too mechanically dense, period.

[Griffin McElroy]

So dense.

[Justin McElroy]

Like, to me, that's unquestionably a failing of Death Stranding. Whatever else you want to say about it, it's just too complex for its own good.

[Griffin McElroy]

Now. Death Stranding 2, more complex. I feel like Death Stranding 2 I had a tough time with at first. Death Stranding 2 presents itself very much as more of Death Stranding at the top of the game for the first five, six hours of it.

[Russ Freshik]

I wouldn't even say it's. I don't personally think it's that long.

[Griffin McElroy]

There is a preface to the game. There is an Act 1 to the game, after which point things really kick off. And Act 1 took me about six or so hours.

[Russ Freshik]

What I would say about the two act ones, because the first game. Yes, this. I'm. I'm only making this point because I think there are a lot of people like you, Griffin, go ahead. That played the first game and fucking bounced off hard. And I totally get that. The difference here with the beginning of both games is death training. One shitload of cutscenes, shitload of setup. Hideojima really wanted you to understand what every character was, why they were, what happened, blah, blah, blah, blah. This game more or less puts you in control almost immediately.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Russ Freshik]

And lets you start doing things almost immediately. You're getting vehicles almost immediately. Compare that to like Death Straining one for the first two hours. You're carrying the worst body ever. It's like the body of your mom or and she's nine and a half.

[Griffin McElroy]

Feet tall, and she weighs 600 pounds.

[Russ Freshik]

Carrying bodies is the hardest thing to do in all of these games, including desk training, too. That is like, oh, you have to carry a body. Fuck that. And they let you do it first thing. So this game does learn that lesson where the things that you're doing first are much easier and more approachable.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yes, the game makes a better first impression than Death stranding one. Without a doubt, Death straining one makes a fucking bad first impression. So I'm not sure that that bar is particularly impressive to clear. However, after that first act, shit goes absolutely bananas in a way that makes me truly believe that Hideo Kojima is a madman at the height of his powers right now. Truly, truly, truly. And not just outrageous in, like a. I don't know, man, the kind of way you'd expect from the guy at this point. Like, absolutely off the wall, fucking over the top even for him. Level shit that it also kind of dovetails with the same point where the game starts to get kind of fun to play and that it really, really, really, really has clicked for me.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Share some of the stuff. I think it's fine to share.

[Griffin McElroy]

I mean, okay, after act one, you meet a whole menagerie of characters all at once, all of whom are more deranged than the last. I don't know how deep we want to go into it, because I don't want to spoil anything, because it truly is when the game starts to come alive. And I would not like to steal that moment of satisfaction from you, but, like, you get access to the little scooter really fast, and then all of a sudden your opportunities for running is dramatically decreased, which is absolutely wonderful. You can adjust difficulty specifically, like, filtering out mechanics of the game that you just don't care for. I don't like having to press L2 and R2 every second and a half to adjust my weight onto my left and right foot because of the way that I put some box on my back. You can pretty much just phase that out if you'd like to.

[Russ Freshik]

There's also a fucking ghost puppet. Like, there's a.

[Griffin McElroy]

There's a ghost puppet. Yeah, I mean, I'm blending together. I'm saying there's a nice moment in this game.

[Justin McElroy]

Ethan's trying to pour some surprises.

[Griffin McElroy]

I think it's worth pounding through. I think it's funny, the first part of this game, because I really do feel like it becomes something that I wanted it to be. And I have been enjoying it a.

[Justin McElroy]

Lot more since Then my broad take on it and I'm somebody who, like, I did like the first one, but I. It took me a really long time to get into and it took me very little time to get out of because I just kind of dropped it. This, to me, reminds me of Assassin's Creed 1 to Assassin's Creed 2.

[Griffin McElroy]

It's.

[Justin McElroy]

It's. The first game was, okay, we're going to try an entirely new thing, an entirely new sort of structure for doing video games. And it's not going to be fun, but it is gonna take us another iteration to figure out how to make it fun. It's gonna work fundamentally, but it's not gonna be pleasant. And I feel like what is so cool to me about Death Straining two is for. I have always thought of Hideo Kojima as somebody who is self indulgent, and I think that it's pretty easy to lay that at his feet a lot of time. What I will say is Death Stranding 2 is not, to me, someone who is self indulgent. Death Stranding 2 is someone who took it on the chin a bit with Death Stranding 1 and said, okay, I actually am going to make this fun. I'm actually going to double down on this and I'm going to make it work. I feel like he is somebody who is at the height right in this game of editing himself to make it into a pleasant. This is somebody who I did not think had that in him. I thought Death Stranding was something that is just gonna continue down the road of like, weirder and more self indulgent. This is weird and self indulgent, but it is absolutely disciplined and, like practiced.

[Griffin McElroy]

In how it's deploying it and also self. Aware. There's a great fucking beat where Sam is talking to Lea Seydoux's character, Fragile, who has these two fake ghost hands that float on her neck that she can. That also sort of like controls and does little sort of mime combat.

[Russ Freshik]

Never discuss. But ye.

[Griffin McElroy]

Well, you can read the codec entry if you really want to fucking get into it. But there's a moment where she sits down and her and Sam are having this conversation and she stops and the dark light of the tar world shines across her face as she just kind of stops talking for a good 20 seconds, pulls out a cigarette, lights the cigarette with the fake hands, takes a huge rip of that dart, puffs it out and just kind of sits there looking contemplative in this super artsy black and white shot. And then it hard cuts to Norman Reedus, as Sammy just goes, cool. So, like, the game is fully, fully, like, says, like, yeah, it feels like it fucking gets it. And it's kind of in on it. And that gives it license to do whatever the fuck it wants. And I'm down to clown. Absolutely.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

My version of that. I agree. It feels like somebody there is editing him. I don't get the sense that Kojima himself is, you know, both the writer and editor here. It feels like somebody has been brought in that is editing both the gameplay and the story.

[Russ Freshik]

It feels like a producer, like. Like bringing a producer in to work on the second album of, like, a garage band that, like, cleaned off the rough edges.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's a really good.

[Russ Freshik]

And I don't necessarily know that Kojima has that in him. Like, that's not his thing. Is, like, doing.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

One of the ways that they've changed. This is fragile. Now. That character who is in the first game, who is played by Leah Seto, she basically is narratively consuming all of the cutscenes on your behalf to the point where you meet a new character, and literally, you'll kind of peek in, see them peek in, and Leseido will be like, hey, it's a little crowded in here. Can you go back to your bed and maybe just go run some errands and I'll catch you up? I'll send you some text about what we learned.

[Justin McElroy]

She is the. She is the exposition eater. Kaji has allowed her to consume it in your stead, and then she will barf it into you. Little nuggets, little pellets.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I walked in on two characters singing Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head together having this beautiful moment that's leading into a little bit of exposition. And Sam is sitting in the doorway, not even part of it. And at the very end, it cuts to them realizing he's there. And then he starts singing. Except for I had just run an errand, and my character is covered in blood and excrement, and he's like, okay, see you later. And then it just disappears. And I was like, this perfectly captures the game, which is these three women are having an entire adventure, and then I'm out here fighting blood babies and every once in a while, giving them some tools that they might need.

[Griffin McElroy]

There's also. I have to shout out another. I've yet to hit a cutscene that I felt like went too long. When they do introduce all those characters, that one's a little bit lengthy, but there's a great bit where you go and you meet up with Guillermo del Toro. Deadman. Deadman. I think, yes. Okay.

[Justin McElroy]

And he's not Die Hardman.

[Griffin McElroy]

Not Die Hardman. Dead man. And he's giving you a lot of exposition. And right when you're like, fuck, man, I don't know. Guillermo del Toro, he's like, you know what? I'm tired. Let's take a break. And you're like, oh, okay, I guess we're taking a break. In the middle of the cutscene, then you go outside and do this huge fucking badass boss fight. And then you come back in, and Guillermo del Toro's like, oh, okay, let's back up. It really feels like someone was like, kojima. You simply can't have this one cutscene of Guillermo del Toro explaining about gate quakes. You can't have that go on for five minutes. I mean, man, you gotta throw in a big boss fight in there. And he's like, yeah, absolutely.

[Russ Freshik]

Let's do it now. It's worth remembering even for the, like, sickos of death stranding the people that are obsessed with all the fucking nitty gritty details of the world that's all still in there. You get texts that give you that background plant mention. There's also a codex, which has, like, probably an encyclopedia's worth of nonsense across every single, like, mechanical beat and world beat. So if you want to know about anything in the world that's all represented, very easy to search. But it.

[Griffin McElroy]

There's specifically. There's specifically a codex entry for Fragile's ghost hands, which is why I know what they are.

[Russ Freshik]

I appreciate it.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, I do kind of want to find out what the fuck's going on.

[Russ Freshik]

It feels a little bit like the souls approach, which is like, if people want it, they can find it. You just have a little dig for it. And for all the normies out there, fucking enjoy moving these packages around because it is pretty fucking fun.

[Justin McElroy]

Can we talk about that?

[Russ Freshik]

Sure.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yes, please.

[Justin McElroy]

Fun. I don't know why.

[Russ Freshik]

Here's. Here's what's so interesting, Justin. You're still kind of early. You're still in, like, one of the earlier parts of the game.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Russ Freshik]

I'm surprised that you find it dramatically more fun than previously, because I think you don't get a lot of the new Wacky Toys until it's not the new Wacky Toys.

[Justin McElroy]

I just feel like it's a lot of the. They from the very beginning tell you, here's how we would approach this. Plot a route. You see the hazards on a map. It is. It is like Gamifying walking. It's adding that layer, right. Which I think really helps because it makes everything more concrete and it makes the idea of like packing for a route really makes sense. Like, you know what you're going to need?

[Griffin McElroy]

I'm going to need a ladder.

[Justin McElroy]

When I'm going to need a ladder.

[Griffin McElroy]

Because I need a ladder.

[Justin McElroy]

Got a place on here for a ladder. Going to need some guns because I'm about to drive through these idiots. Like I'm. You know, you need a. You need a plan. And honestly, if you're. If you deviate from that, you're choosing to. But it's your choice. I mean, you could execute on your plan and it'll go pretty much the way you know you think it's going to go. But then there's like, you'll see some sort of cool thing you want to go look at, some sort of treasure you want to go get. And then you get into a bit of a pickle. But it is the. If you get into. I'll give you another one this real. That's real good. If you see an encounter with enemies, you can look at it with your binoculars. You tag all your enemies. That's nothing new. But then you got to count at the top of the screen and then when you start eliminating enemies, it starts decreasing it. Four out of six. Three out of six. Two out of six. So you know exactly how many bad guys there are to eliminate in the encounter. Like, just like those sort of quality of life things make what he is trying to do feel more like. It removes more of the rough edges and just makes it into more of a.

[Griffin McElroy]

Can I say my biggest quality of life upgrade? You can see the fucking monsters now. You can see the fucking monsters. Like, yeah, dog. The monsters shouldn't be invisible. You shouldn't be constantly pursued by invisible monsters while you're trying to go from point A to point B.

[Russ Freshik]

It did make the monsters in the first game more scary, but also miserable to deal with.

[Griffin McElroy]

They are still scary and still frankly my least favorite part of the getting around experience. Because I do not like being on my cool bike take going on a interstate international road trip and then getting stopped abruptly because tar monsters fucking appear and try to slow me down.

[Justin McElroy]

But it's also like so early, by the way, where they're like, good news, Sam. We found some cool magic for bullets that makes them work on ghosts.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, right.

[Russ Freshik]

The other very nice quality of life feature that I think people sort of forget about. The first game. You can actually stealth into areas. Now there was a convoluted way to do this where you have to like revert a scan. But in the first game, every time you walked into enemy territory, the second you walked in there, a scan would ping, you know that you were carrying cargo, ping back, and all the enemies would run at you. There was like, there were again ways to stealth it, but it was a pain in the ass. That's all gone. You can now play enemy encampments like you can in Metal Gear Solid V or any other stealth game where you are sneaky and you hide in the high grass and you throw decoy grenades and you sneak up behind people and tie them up like that's all completely fun. And combat in the first game was basically an afterthought. Like it fucking sucked.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah. So let's go down that route a bit. Because the first act or whatever is a shorter area in Mexico, similar to how the first game had a like open world you went to before the large open world. The second area is Australia and all of Australia. It felt to me like the first act in Mexico is kind of a speedrun of the first half of Death Stranding 1, which is the, you know, walking as an action game. I was surprised. Once you get to Australia and it makes sense because the size of this game, it becomes a bit like Blaster Master in the nes. And by that I mean there is an on foot game and there is an in vehicle game and vehicles were in the last game, but they were not nearly as predominant as they are.

[Griffin McElroy]

I am almost always on my turbo trike that shit runs.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Or once you get a truck. I feel like I go everywhere with the truck at this point because I'm always carrying materials to build these highways that you'll come across. Or there's monorails in this game. And yeah, it's basically the reason that you eventually have to get on foot is there's some train that forces you. But there's also a lot more Metal Gear Solid V in this game. Like a lot, a lot more Metal Gear in this game than Metal Gear.

[Justin McElroy]

What do you mean? Do you mean Metal Gear Solid V specifically or metal gear writ large 5?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I mean metal gear solid 5 specifically, where it's the open world. Metal Gear. Hey, here's a big fort. How are you going to go about solving this like with maybe around like the five or six hour mark? There is a mission and this is early in, I think Australia, where you need to go into a base and bust like hack their satellite or whatever, you know, some generic prompt and you can Snipe them if you've unlocked that from like a distance. But the sniper rifle is extremely loud, so it attracts a ton of attention. Suddenly you have like a horde of people running at you. You can do the usual Metal Gear Solid sneak around where like people never even see you. You can barrel a vehicle right through the thing and just kind of pray as you.

[Griffin McElroy]

I have non lethally shredded some fucking dudes with an automobile.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

It has some like Spider man like logic where it's like, I mean, sure, I heard his neck break, but he's definitely still alive.

[Russ Freshik]

In the first game, there were a ton of weapons that were lethal weapons that basically were worthless because the second you kill someone in the world of death stranding a BT shows up, a void out occurs which is basically like a nuke going off in the middle of that area. You know, it takes some time, but so it made lethal weapons basically worthless. In a lot of ways, this game corrects that by giving you a ton of non lethal options. And most of them work on both BTs and people.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yep. Helpful little icons too on each weapon that show. Does it work on ghosts? Does it work on dudes?

[Russ Freshik]

And you're. As you're doing missions for people, it's not just like, well, the bar is going up. You're also getting new gear every time you like rank up a relationship and things like that. And all the new gear has a purpose for some sort of gameplay style. Whether you're playing stealthy, whether you're playing like full on assault. All that stuff, like just makes the experience of getting around the world more fun and more. This is where I think the big difference is and why this game has clicked so hard for me. This feels way more like an rpg. I feel way more in control of my character and like what I'm able to do in the world. There's like a passive perk system that wasn't in the first game. All of this stuff kind of combines to make me feel again the middle of your solid comparison. I feel the same way about this that I did that game, which is you eventually get to a point where you're Snake is like very or I guess big boss. In that case, your big boss is very unique to anyone else's based on what you're bringing along.

[Griffin McElroy]

Were you afraid gonna beat you up? Russ, you're probably best equipped to talk about this because I think you're probably furthest. I think the game is delightful from a narrative perspective just because of how much wild shit it keeps throwing at me. There have Been some moments of emotional resonance, I will say, and I don't want to sort of get too deep into what that is. But also I have hit wide swaths of the story where it kind of just feels like they're saying Chiral over and over again. And maybe the narrative is not quite as gripping. I'm wondering your sort of take on, like, the narrative successes of this thing, barring the obvious. Like, it's Hideo Kojima being a wild man, which we all love. But how is the writing sort of from a more traditional storytelling standpoint?

[Russ Freshik]

I think both this game and the first game are very, very simple stories, very straightforward that are obscured by chiral bridge connections across the void, out bt, death strand, et cetera, et cetera. But at its core, the first game is really just like, hey, we're trying to bring America together by connecting people and that'll make us all stronger in the long run. And this game is very similar to that. But there's also an element of like, fatherhood and the importance of family and things like that that is kind of layered on top. That is really all you need to keep in mind. If you want to go down the freaky Kojima rabbit hole, you can, but most of that stuff is not in the cutscenes. Like, as you mentioned, the cutscenes are pretty short. Yeah, half of them are like, we're just gonna have Norman Reedus do some goofy ass shit. I went into a hot spring at one point and he just starts like singing this song in Japanese and his like little like baby carrier thing starts like spinning around in the water like it's like a fantasy musical. So like half of them are just jokes and then the other half are like, you know, it'll be like evil bad guy shouting at you. But realistically, like, your goal is still the same. It's still you're trying connect, in this case Australia. And there might be. As with the first game, I think the final act of that game narratively was like a total shit show mess. I'm sure something similar will also happen here where it's a total shit show mess. I don't care because I'm so compelled by both the goofy and also just like the minute to minute gameplay, like scratches. Exactly the right itch in my brain.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah, yeah. I will say I think there's a bit more there in the cutscenes. As the person who loved the first game and sits through all the cutscenes here.

[Russ Freshik]

I mean, I do too.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I think that there's a bit more about the themes of this one are Kojima being still really upset about not making the rest of Metal Gear to some pretty on the nose detours that the game takes. It is his really peculiar obsession with kind of natalism and like, what it means to have babies and who gets to have babies, which is bizarre. And then there is a whole, whole lot about people need to log the fuck off the Internet.

[Griffin McElroy]

Right.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

And I think that's like, again, like, Russ is right. You can understand the story, the plot, I guess on you need to connect all these people together and is that good or bad? But he's still doing Kojima. He's just doing it in three to four minute chunks instead of, I think of that. Die. Was it not Die Hardman? Heart Man. Heart man, yeah. That was the iconic Go On Forever cutscene of Death Stranding 1 where it truly went on for like 35, 40 minutes. We don't have any of that. So far.

[Russ Freshik]

We haven't really talked too much about the, like, other identifying characteristics of this franchise, which really has no parallel in other game franchises, which is the fact that, like, people are contributing to your world based on what they build and vice versa. When you build things, it can appear in other people's worlds. When I was playing this game over the course of the last, like, week and a half or so, for most of that, the servers were off. The servers were on at the very beginning when I first started playing, and then for most of it, the servers were off. And then about three days ago, the server's turned back on again and holy shit, it is, like, so fascinating to play this game both offline and online. Yeah, I can't imagine it's clearly balanced for online because there's a lot of, like, grindy resource management stuff that I was actually kind of getting a kick out of, but it just takes much longer to do anything. But when the servers flipped online, it was going from like a backwater wild west town to going in the middle of Las Vegas. And suddenly there's fucking neon signs everywhere and jump packs and a giant fucking charger.

[Justin McElroy]

You'll just like run into a charger. Yeah, I will say wild.

[Griffin McElroy]

That mechanic works for me as often as it does not, but it does frequently deliver this moment.

[Justin McElroy]

Sorry, just to clarify, do you mean works like actually technically works or works like you enjoy it?

[Griffin McElroy]

Oh, maybe a little column A little column B. I was also wondering, I think Russ has cleared up to me why I've had stretches of this game where I didn't see shit. And it's possible that it was just like a pre release server outage situation. But the number of times where I've had the moment where I would be in the shit, way far away from an outpost with a sack full of garbage and out of supplies, my shoes are all fucked up, there's BTs crawling out of my ass. And then I will just happen to come across like a shelter someone has built right where I need it, right where I would have built it if I'd had the supplies is a very, very cool moment because you think like, oh, okay, someone was thinking the same way that I was, except they actually bothered to bring a PCC with them or whatever.

[Justin McElroy]

Or you'll like, look around with a tough situation, you'll see a watchtower nearby and like, okay, yeah, yeah, okay, yeah.

[Griffin McElroy]

Where you get it, you get is cool. There's a pretty steep learning curve to that stuff, I will say, because like, there is a. Learning the economy of this game takes a while. You have these resources that you need to make items and to build these big structures. And that resource is not constant. It's like you stockpile some metals at this one outpost and then when you go to the other outpost, it's. It's not necessarily going to be there because if it was, they wouldn't need porters. They could just fucking teleport everything that they need. Ah, yes. There is a helpful thing once you get to Australia that kind of negates this. But like the stress I felt in the first game about like, well, fuck does it make sense to do? I have to keep my supplies with me. Every time I move to a new outpost, I have to truck 200 kg of garbage from point A to point B. I feel like they, they mitigate that quite a bit.

[Russ Freshik]

Yeah, they definitely do. I mean, this felt to me like Monster Hunter in some ways. Because of the DNA that I learned in the first game, I was much. It was much easier for me to jump in and know that like, oh, chiral crystals actually have negative weight, so I should get as many as like I can at any given time. I don't think I ever absorbed that information from the first game. And also just like, oh, I should, you know, if I'm at a base and they have a bunch of materials, there's no reason not to take it out of that base so long as I can carry them. So there's just like a lot of like DNA that I remember from that game that has helped me kind of get a little bit of a leg up. But it feels like I Don't know, man. This feels like a good starting point for a lot of people because you're. You're not. You're not suffering through what is just a really steep learning curve of that first game.

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah. I frequently felt during the first one that Kojima was trying to like, teach me a direct, visceral lesson about suffering. Like the suffering that I was experiencing. I'm not even kidding.

[Russ Freshik]

No. At the beginning of the game especially.

[Justin McElroy]

Like the misery of the experience was part of the point. And a little of that goes a long way. It's like, thank you. I don't get that sense in this game. Like, it. It is about hardship in some ways, but it's not trying to like as much to give you the visceral experience of struggle that the first game, I think, was trying to get across.

[Griffin McElroy]

I do think it is worth mentioning because we keep talking about this as a good starting point. The recap that is provided for the first Death Stranding game is a 17 slide info dump that you can shoot through in about 100 seconds. Yeah, it is so tight.

[Russ Freshik]

It's great.

[Griffin McElroy]

It's tight. It tells you literally. So far. I feel like I know everything I need to know, which is kind of damning. I think of the story of Death Stranding 1 because that game takes longer than 100 seconds to shoot.

[Russ Freshik]

That's what I mean by simple. Like it was a pretty simple plot. I mean, if you're not looking at the themes, it's pretty straightforward.

[Griffin McElroy]

But I did not play a ton of Death Stranding 1 because I didn't like it. And I do not feel at all lost here in Death Stranding 2.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

So I agree that this is a good place to start. I do think if you really enjoy this and you want more after you play, you know, 200 hours of this game, the Director's cut of Death Stranding 1 is still going to be enjoyable, I think, for that sort of person. The Director's Cut has a lot more in common with this game than the original version of Death Stranding does. It's just infinitely more forgiving and has way more things to play with. It has way more combat, has a lot of the stuff that they ended up doing with this game. I will say there is a certain sicko like myself who will miss some of the rough edges. I don't miss having two hour cutscenes interrupted, but to your point, hoops of a little goes a long way. That's true. But I found in Death stranding after like 40 or 50 hours, and I had built, you know, zip lines over a mountain. The feeling of success, of achievement was one of my favorite things I've ever felt in a video game. In here you are. Achievement comes like constantly. You are constantly being rewarded. It really wants to make sure that even for the smallest action you do, you're getting a treat out of it. I don't think that's bad. I'm like, to be clear, this is my. No, no, I really don't.

[Justin McElroy]

It's for filthy casuals. Just say no.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

No, I like it. I just, I wish I could have like both at times.

[Russ Freshik]

I'll give you a concrete example of what you're talking about. Plant and I think this is very fitting. The zip lines in the first game, zip lines could only go line of sight. In the first game, you could go straight in a straight beam line. And that was the only way to do it. And when you line them up perfectly, like, oh shit, I could see the bars of the other zip line. This feels really good. I felt like I earned it here. In this game, they let you bend the line a little bit so you can go like around a mountain or up and over something. And it's just like that tiny little like, hey, this is a nice thing for you that I was like, I kind of want to just ignore this because it feels a little unearned this, this help hand, helpful hand that they've given me. But that's a very sicko point.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, good. Okay.

[Russ Freshik]

Yeah, I acknowledge you recognize that you.

[Justin McElroy]

Beat me to it.

[Russ Freshik]

The other thing I want to mention, Justin, you mentioned this earlier. I think if you quit this game for three days, you're never coming back to it for the same exact notes that you gave previously. This game is. Even though it's more welcoming and even though they're giving you a lot more things, it is incredibly fucking dense to the point of like, I don't like. I think this is like an all or nothing momentum thing that I don't know that I could keep bouncing back into. Like I'm gonna.

[Griffin McElroy]

I've had to by virtue of the fact that it's not on my rog ally I have taken quite. We've gone on tour since we've had it and I have streamed the game while I've been at home, which is fine. It's just kind of annoying that it takes that extra minute or two to get it streaming and I usually play things in pretty short little bursts. This would be kind of perfect for that. Would be delighted if it was there. So I would Disagree with that. I took a couple of breaks from this game and I did not necessarily struggle to get back.

[Justin McElroy]

I think that there is some. I think that I am partially. This game is a lot more enjoyable for me because I played the first one and it is not having to do a whole lot of. It's not gonna like restructure my entire brain as to like what kind of thing this is. And I think that shorthand is really helpful and it communicates it if you haven't played them before, but the last one. But I think that like having that as a basis to. To work from really, really helps. Also on the cutscenes, I just want to say it. I feel like with the editing and the writing and let being less self indulgent to Kojima. I think having the random celebrity cameos feels a lot less. I think exploitative or like is the word that I. I want to use here. But I think that that's right. Like it feels less like here's someone I got in my game because I'm a fan of them. It feels like you get a little bit more of the actors personality and the. The person's like personality coming through that makes it feel like less creepy. Like fan service and more a little bit like it's a fun collaborative.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Justin McElroy]

If that makes sense.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah. Like one of the people who was in Terrace House is in this game for people who remember that Netflix reality show.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh my God. Yes. The artist.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yes. And she's an artist now and she does like real art. She does exhibits across the world. And when you come across her, her character helps you. One has the same name, two is an artist. Three gives you like color ways that you can use to change your stuff. But for her actual art from the real world is hanging around her like little her bunker. And same thing with like there's a musician that you come across and he shares his actual music and the real vinyl records are hanging on the wall. It like really wants to introduce you to these people in the real world through the game rather than like you said, who seem like, oh well, if you know, you know, there's.

[Justin McElroy]

I think it's like, okay, the George Miller thing. George Miller pops up. It's a real fun character intro. It's 30 seconds long. It's fun. You move on.

[Griffin McElroy]

He pops up. He's like, what's up? I'm George Miller. Here's what's weird about me. Have fun. Have fun.

[Justin McElroy]

Today in the first s training, I think it would have been like, I'm George Miller. I'm going to talk to you for 20 minutes until you're so fucking sick of me that you delete Mad Max from your computer's hard drive. You know, like, I. It feels a little bit more like, respectful of the person. Like George Miller's kids and maybe even George Miller himself, because I think he plays video games. Aren't gonna play and be like, God, I'm really. This is a really boring part. I'm in.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

You actually can access the 20 minute full backstory. And the way they do it is they make it optional in your room. You'll be like looking through a book and you'll see a photo and it's like, ah, you should probably share this with George Miller. But do you really want to? And you're like, oh, I know what that means. I know what you're saying. Yeah, you're saying, do I want that 20 minute cutscene? And then you watch it on your own and you choose to. Turns out much more enjoyable.

[Griffin McElroy]

There is a context sensitive skip button in the game that is what maybe this game's greatest technological achievement. If you hit circle during like any non interactive scene, it'll drop out to this thing where it'll be like, continue or skip or options or whatever. Or you can just hold X. If you hold X, it takes like. I think you can adjust the amount of time it takes for this skip.

[Russ Freshik]

I highly recommend adjusting the time it takes because you skip a lot of fucking cutscenes in this game.

[Griffin McElroy]

Because here's the thing.

[Justin McElroy]

But no, there's different kinds of skips for good cutscenes and bad ones.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's it, right? So Norman Reedus goes and takes a piss for the hundredth time and eats a bug. I've seen that. I can just hold X for a second and then zoop. We're literally instantly right past it. That's awesome. But sometimes I'll go to the mirror because I need to shave his fucking gnarly face and I'll start to hold in the skip button and it'll take a little bit longer than it's supposed to. I'll be like, oh shit, wait. Like something cool is about to happen and something cool will happen. It tells you very discreetly, like, hey, you should. You should watch this next part. It's pretty.

[Justin McElroy]

Makes me feel all the more powerful when I do skip those scenes because I just want to get outside and haul some more boxes around.

[Griffin McElroy]

It's. It's. I. It is. So many of his of Hideo Kojima's worst instincts have been Almost completely neutralized, I feel like. And it is all killer. No filler for me so far, by the way.

[Justin McElroy]

Interesting. I just thought this was interesting. I showed Sidney I was very early and she happened to be in the room. It was when you had a toddler on your chest at the very beginning of the game. You could take it out and soothe her and if she gets upset by your walking, you need to take her out and soothe her or whatever. And Sydney was it. I was like, hey, look at this. And I showed her. She actually thought was again. And the way it's handling the game. Was actually pretty impressed that there was a mechanic that was attempted in the game that wasn't shooting or tying people up. Like. And I felt like in the first game it was. It seemed a lot more awkward and a lot more weird. And I feel like it feels more humane in this game and it feels less like a joke and a little bit more like a. I don't know how to make this fun, but it is. Part of the stuff that that happens in the game is taking care of a baby.

[Russ Freshik]

Yeah.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah.

[Russ Freshik]

So this is my game of the year so far. I still haven't played Blueprints because we've talked about it, but this is. This is the best game that I've played this year by like a lot.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Like, wow.

[Russ Freshik]

Not even a question.

[Justin McElroy]

Cool.

[Russ Freshik]

I'm a lot further than you guys are.

[Justin McElroy]

It's always got to be more fragment in there. I love that part of your personality.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Do you use any gags?

[Russ Freshik]

It's been great, so I hope people get to experience it. I'm bummed that it's exclusive to PS5, just as more people should play this, but I'm sure it will come to PC as the other version has. And I think the other version even came to Xbox eventually. So yay. Good games. Love to see them.

[Griffin McElroy]

Love it.

[Justin McElroy]

Love it. Let's take a break. Then when we come back, we'll talk more Kojima.

[Russ Freshik]

So I thought we'd just do a quick recap of like, Kojima stuff coming because there's like basically two and a half Kojima games that are gonna be coming pretty soon. So just as a reminder, pretty soon it's gonna be five fucking years. Anyway, the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake is coming out. He is not working on that. He has no association with Konami. He hates Konami. Konami hates him. But there is a remake of the game that was probably one of his best titles ever released that's coming out later this summer. I think it's an August release. So I'm very excited about that. There are two legit Kojima games coming. There's od, which is a horror game that kind of looks like pt, I guess. And then there's fiz, in which I guess looks like Metal Gear Solid.

[Griffin McElroy]

Okay.

[Russ Freshik]

And both of these games basically feel like throwbacks to, like, things he's worked on previously and people really liked. But it kind of. It's exciting to like.

[Griffin McElroy]

Fizznt has to be like a working title, right?

[Russ Freshik]

Maybe Death Stranding sounds like a working title and they went with that sounds.

[Justin McElroy]

Like, hey, listen, check this joke out. If it sounds like a working title, it Fizznt.

[Griffin McElroy]

That's cool.

[Russ Freshik]

I don't know. How are you guys feeling about.

[Griffin McElroy]

I mean, I'm very excited. I. The names attached to odds are exciting to me, but it would be cool to see what it is and what it looks like and what it does. What kind of gave it is in anything. Anything at all about it. That would be so cool.

[Russ Freshik]

Stands for Orange Dick. Just a heads up.

[Griffin McElroy]

Okay, now we know that and now we're ready to move on.

[Russ Freshik]

I guess we have some reader mail. Okay, first question. This one is from Matt. As a veteran game journalist, so I guess journalists, did you ever take a hard stance against the game that everyone loved at the time, and what game made you feel like you were on another planet than everyone else playing that game?

[Griffin McElroy]

Fucking it happened on this show, my friend. Go back and listen to our Starfield episode and then go back and read any review, aside from maybe a small handful of reviews of Starfield. I genuinely, genuinely is the most poignant example of this where I absolutely felt like I was being gaslit by the entire industry writ large.

[Justin McElroy]

I still have no explanation for it. I don't know anybody that likes that game. I think it's crazy. But anyway, yes.

[Russ Freshik]

I mean, I think the overarching narrative is people have come around to our side on the matter, but it's not.

[Griffin McElroy]

But the game. I don't know that the game has changed so fundamentally that it hasn't.

[Russ Freshik]

I think it's just one of those.

[Justin McElroy]

Cases where we were right and everyone else is wrong. And I don't know a nicer way of saying it than that. You know what I mean? Like, we have been doing this a long time and we're probably smarter than a lot of other people doing it.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, it's genuinely quite scary to be the outlier critic on a thing. I say scary. Like it's like some horrible, terrible thing is going to happen. To you. But it is troubling when the reviews come out and you're like, oh, wow, I was a lot harder on this thing than everyone else. Or I liked this thing much, much more than everyone else.

[Justin McElroy]

I will also say, for whatever it's worth, that if you are the solo game critic working somewhere and you don't talk to other people and maybe it's probably a lot harder to trust that, like, your take on Starfield is accurate. Like, maybe the problem is me because I. I think this sucks. Oh, well, I better just sort of go with the flow because I don't want to be sticking my. My neck out because that is a really uncomfortable position to be in. Sure to be the dissenting. I liked near a lot less than a lot of people, but that's the.

[Russ Freshik]

Example that I thought of was that Saints Row reboot game that I actually kind of really liked. I don't. I had a lot of fun with that game and everyone fucking hated it. Part of that is like SJW anti woke, whatever. But also just like people hated it in general.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Yeah. And that's Last of Us two. And I have felt vindicated by the reaction to the second season of the TV show.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah, it only took like eight years to get there. There is an inverse side of this too, where, like, I remember giving Skyward Sword, like a perfect, glowing review. I was absolutely gaga about that game. And it received fairly middling reviews, I would say, on average, from a lot of other places. And that is also sort of a very weird kind of alienating feeling. But I can't think of too many examples.

[Russ Freshik]

Do you regret it?

[Griffin McElroy]

Do I regret it? No, I don't think so.

[Russ Freshik]

You would stand by your language about Skyward Sword.

[Griffin McElroy]

I mean, okay, knowing what Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom would kind of become, like, obviously it doesn't hold a candle, but I do think there's a certain amount of walking. So it could run. That could happen. So no, last question.

[Russ Freshik]

This one comes from Harry. With the increasing rise of popularity of game to movie adaptations, what is the key to picking the right ip? Is it a game with a well written story like Last of Us Fitting trying to get those iconic giraffe moments? Or is it better to go the sonic route where you pick a character we love with more freedom to do what you want to do with the story?

[Justin McElroy]

Yeah, I think it's about finding the right match of the tone and structure with the right game and the right people who actually enjoy the thing and know it's like fun about it. I think that like Sonic, the tone of Sonic is just exactly as reverent of Sonic as anyone feasibly should be. I think that's a big. A big strength for Sonic.

[Griffin McElroy]

Yeah. I feel like folks get in trouble when they try to adapt the story of a interactive, branching narrative to a non interactive, non branching sort of format. And so I do think, I think Sonic represents maybe the most successful video game to film adaptation like ever. And they've done it three times. And that's just. That's really special.

[Justin McElroy]

I saw an interview. Alex Garland is working on a Elden Ring movie. And I saw an interview with him where he was. The interviewer was asking him like he was going to trip him up. What. What boss did he struggle with the most? And he said, none of them really. And I was like, aw, yeah, this guy does play Elden Ring. And then he said, and then the host said, I struggle with Radahn. And then Alex Garland said, radahn is not hard. And then I was like, yeah, this guy gets it. I don't know if he's gonna make a good Elden Ring movie, but he certainly plays Elden Ring.

[Griffin McElroy]

He's a legit Elden Ring.

[Justin McElroy]

He definitely plays Elden Ring.

[Griffin McElroy]

I bet you he beats Radahn. No summons. I bet you.

[Justin McElroy]

Oh, no, he explains this.

[Griffin McElroy]

No summons.

[Justin McElroy]

No, he goes to Summons. He just explains you gotta get the right summons and it's not hard. Yeah, that's accurate.

[Griffin McElroy]

So I will say Elden Ring's a weird one. Man, I don't know how the fuck you adapt that. I genuinely don't. It's not the story of the game of Elden Ring. That would be a bad story. My wet man ran through the blood fields.

[Justin McElroy]

My dead wet dad.

[Griffin McElroy]

My dead wet dad eats shrimp to get strong and kill God.

[Russ Freshik]

I mean, the manga does a very good job because it's basically a comedy manga of, of the Elden Ring story, which works, but probably wouldn't work for an Alex Garland movie. I think there is one narrative related to Castle Morne where like the castle gets overrun by a bunch of monsters and like boots out the humans that were there because the monsters were like, sir, there's like. I think that's the only way to do it is you pick like one side story and around the edges of it you have like the world of Elden Ring. But really you're just focused on the.

[Griffin McElroy]

I think a story about Radahn and Melanie. Not Melanie, Melina. Millennia, Millennia, Millennium and the blight and all that shit. Ending with the festival. That would be pretty sick. That would be pretty rad. But, yeah, there's so much story there, man. I don't know what you get.

[Russ Freshik]

I would like for something that he.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Couldn'T resist, you know, he was like, I'm gonna make a movie about men. And they're like, yeah. And he's like, yeah. And he's like, I'm making a movie about a civil war. And they're like, yeah, go for it. I'm gonna make a movie about warfare.

[Justin McElroy]

And.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

And then I'm gonna make a trilogy about 28 days later that's actually about coming to terms with death. And they're like, sure, sure, sure. He's like, now I'm retired. Like, that makes a lot of sense. You've done a lot of work. You know what? I want to get one more. And they're like, oh, sure. Is it women? What do you got? And he's like, so I just played Elden Ring. I think that's gonna end my career.

[Griffin McElroy]

I love it.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Go for it.

[Griffin McElroy]

You guys been playing anything else?

[Justin McElroy]

No.

[Griffin McElroy]

Okay.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

So much death stranding.

[Russ Freshik]

A lot of death stranding.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I mean, people should go see 28 years later. That's my thing. People should go see 28 years later because it's a miracle that movie got made. And it is not the movie that is being advertised, really, at all.

[Griffin McElroy]

I didn't see 28 weeks later. Is that an issue actually for the better?

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Because they retcon it into oblivion within seconds.

[Griffin McElroy]

Perfect. Love it.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

I will say, if you are the sort of person who loves just British comedy and history and the BBC, the movie is gonna really click with you in a way that it won't with everybody else. Everybody, I think, will enjoy it, but it is a movie about British culture in the most blunt, in fucking wild of ways.

[Griffin McElroy]

I want to. Speaking of BBC comedy, I have been watching Taskmaster Series 19. I think it's the one with Jason Mantcas on it, and it's fucking. It's a strong one. I have fallen off that show just mostly because I was watching other stuff, but I really was curious about how his particular energy and brand of comedy would adapt to the Taskmaster format. And I have not been disappointed. The whole cast is very strong. It is. It is a unhinged season, and Rachel and I have been really enjoying watching that at night.

[Russ Freshik]

I also, let me just say, apparently he's the first American that's flown to the UK to do Taskmaster.

[Griffin McElroy]

Oh, that's interesting. I guess. I mean, Martin's Canadian, huh?

[Russ Freshik]

Yeah, I guess.

[Griffin McElroy]

I've also been playing Pokemon TCG Pocket again. The trading card game. Collectible trading card game. They added some stuff since launch and one of those things was trading. You can trade cards, but they've made it as obtuse and shitty as possible to keep people from getting the cards that they want without buying into the Pokemon TCG Pocket ecosystem. And someone has made a companion app called Poketrade where you can find people who have the cards that you want and set up the trades with them through a third party platform. And in using that, I have completed all but I think one of the sets that are available now. I just like collecting the cards. I like opening the packs. Feels good, man.

[Christopher Thomas Plant]

Nice.

[Justin McElroy]

I would like to recommend Lord of the the Two Towers on PlayStation 2. I played a great deal of it while we were on tour. And if you want to hit some of those scary ghosts with your sword and protect Elijah Wood, it is a great time.

[Russ Freshik]

Are there ghosts in Two Towers?

[Justin McElroy]

You can be Frodo and you can't be Frodo. And you can be Legolas and Aragorn or Gimli and not Frodo. Again, just to be clear, you could just be those three guys. And there's the scary Wraiths.

[Russ Freshik]

Oh, the Ringwraiths. Sure, I guess.

[Justin McElroy]

Sure.

[Russ Freshik]

Yeah, that works. I was thinking of the ghosts in.

[Justin McElroy]

The film, but it's. There's also. There's like clips from the movie. So a lot of times you can't even tell if you're watching a movie or playing a game. It's kind of a seamless blend. Wow.

[Griffin McElroy]

It says that you can fucking completely absolutely tell. I can absolutely tell. Justin showed me a picture stretched out. Stretched ass dimly. That looks so fucking profane. There's no way I would confuse you.

[Justin McElroy]

I got it. I had it on with widescreen hacks. Looks great.

[Griffin McElroy]

It made Gimli too wide, dude. He looked fucked up.

[Russ Freshik]

Didn't think it was possible.

[Justin McElroy]

All right, that's gonna do it. What are we doing next week?

[Russ Freshik]

A little game called the Altars.

[Justin McElroy]

Hey. All right. Makes sense. That sounds fun.

[Russ Freshik]

I wanted to thank our patrons [e-mail] TheBesties thank you everyone for being patrons. We have a new Restyz episode that's up. We have a new bracket episode. It's going to be slightly delayed a couple days. I apologize. We apologize. Scheduling conflicts abound. But it's going to come out still that same week, so keep an eye out for that in the first week. Of July. And thank you all. We really, really appreciate you.

[Justin McElroy]

Be sure to join us again next time for the besties. Because shouldn't the world's best friends. Friends. Pick the world's best games. Besties.